Had a difficult run today and met a soggy smiling Springer Spaniel who was very friendly and happy to see me. It was off the lead and I was very pleased to stop and say hello. Later on my run in a narrow woodland track, I saw a husky on a stretchy lead and so I stood still. I find certain breeds frightening. There was nowhere I could go so I hoped the dog and owner would go last but the lady had the lead fully extended and even though I was standing completely still, she let it come up to me and sniff me which made me feel very worried. I had to ask her to take her dog away as I didn't know it. She was very sarcastic with me but surely she could see I was afraid of her dog and could have put it on a short lead and walked past? I am a dog lover,M have dogs myself but some dogs owners say are friendly seem out of control, no indication through their body language they are happy to see me - tail not wagging. Sadly because of their owners, I am feeling that running near dogs isn't something I can do anymore which is sad because I live nothing more than a happy, wet Labrador!

Where I run there is a segment where a lot of dog walkers let their dogs off the lead, some by the looks of things in order to train them. I haven't yet had a dog run up to me but it would unnerve me too, depending on the dog. I always look out of the corner of my eye and remember although I am short at 5ft3 to feel tall and strong and not look a strange dog in the eye. Dog owners sometimes really don't seem to grasp that passers-by might be genuinely nervous or scared of their dog. I am not sure why this is. The dog owners I have encountered seem responsible and to have their dogs under control but it really isn't always the case I know. Some people are very soft on dogs and don't like to be strict and actually train them which is a shame because a dog needs leadership and if the owner is perceived to be weak, the dog will feel it has no choice other than to be pack leader. This is where all these problems stem from. I find the earlier I run, the fewer dogs are out.

Julie, an over reaction on your part maybe? You maybe a tad over sensitive to the larger wolf like looking dog's, they do look menacing.

I would probably have carefully gone past it, but people react differently, so you froze. I am wary of dogs off the lead, when as a boy going home from school (and probably after an English lesson floss!) got bitten badly on the hand when trying to stroke a stray dog, WRONG! So understand your predicament..😉

Not long ago I had a small dog off the lead jump up and hit me on the arm as I ran past the owner on a narrow lane. Now, I could have turned round on the owner "and have a go" but, I just let it go, no damage done, just an excitable happy dog, but yes! maybe owners should take more control! and not take for granted how people should feel about thier dog!😊

If a dog bites me, don't think I will let it go because they could do serious damage to a child or another runner next time. I do not expect to get a dog bite or be injured by anyone else's pet. I am a responsible dog owner and also a dog lover

There was nowhere for me to go to get past this large dog on a fully extended stretched lead. I made it totally clear that I was uncomfortable from running to standing still with my arms down. I was frightened because the woman would have had no way of pulling it back if it bit me. As I said in my post, I am a dog lover and dog striker but only if it is clearly safe. I have been injured by a Staffie jumping so high it was at shoulder height and my knee was bruised as it bashed into me, the owner was calling it and it took no notice at all but wanted to "play" with me. I had a Dalmatian who the owner said was "friendly" running at me off lead growling - don't worry, he is friendly the owner assured me! I always slow down, walk past or sometimes stop depending on the dog, the owner and the body language of the pet. I felt this dog was potentially unfriendly, the owner was neither respecting my body language and the dog invaded my personal space, I do not want to get a dog bite so I react appropriately

Although I like dogs, I am afraid of most dogs... like davelinks , I got bitten as a child, and an unprovoked bite too, Sadly, I give dogs, not on leads a very wide berth and if they are on leads, but if the way past is narrow...I stop running and wait, like you.

I don't know why but it seems to be certain breeds that I can't figure out. Staff is can be lovely but so excitable and unpredictable, Huskies and Alsatians I am sure make great lets but I don't know any and they look wild and give little away so a storm dog moving slowly towards me not listening to their owner is unsettling, Dalmatians are very intelligent but snarling is not the same as smiling! Any friendly dog, given the kwner's oermission no matter what breed gets a hello and stroke from me. Owners who have off lead out of control dogs or on stretchy leads I stay away from if I can

I think different body language from different breeds can be confusing, the husky types with high held curly tails don't wag as much as your Labradors for example, if my collie held his tail like a resting husky, he would have bad intentions( but not towards runners!) ....so tails are not an accurate indicator. Maybe you could find someone with one of the breeds you are unsure of and get to know them? Once you understand the varying body language it might help, although doesn't help with uncooperative owners...

I love all dogs (the bigger the better) but "hate" irresponsible dog owners; they are the reason why some dogs have a bad reputation and they often are an inconvenience for other road users.

Anyway, please don't be scared of a dog who is not wagging its tail; it doesn't mean that it is not friendly, most of the time it simply means it is not taking any interest in you. Actually a "wagging tail" dog is more likely to (playfully) jump on you.

You could be right but a dog approaching me with a non wagging tail is not disinterested, if it comes right up to me and sniffs my leg, it is too close for comfort. Particularly as I already made it clear I am unsure by stopping and standing and the owner is calling the dog who has no intention of going back to the owner

What I am saying is that the dog might have come to you *because* you stopped (which can be interpreted by the dog as a sign that "there is something wrong; better check") and might have ignored you if you simply kept on your way. It is impossible to say for sure as I was not there and I did not see the dog's body language.

To be crystal clear, I am not implying in any way that what happened was your responsibility; I am just trying to share the little I know about dogs from my experience, in case you have to deal with a similar situation in the future.